Mesón El Gañán:authentic, SUPER cheap Spanish food
This place is one of my favourite places to eat in Madrid. Hmmm...well, I only really write about my favourite places, and yes I know they are many! :) This one I like because it is ridiculously cheap and the food is as good as if your mum made it at home.
They have specially named sandwiches such as : El Gañán and El Señorito being the 2 main specialities of the house; they are essentially a piece of freshly cooked meat with a vegetable (mainly onion or green/red pepper). They are just the right size and cost a meagre €1.50 each. Yes, €1.50 -- that wasn't a typo!
All other food is mainly tapas that are well made and cheap too, but alongside their sandwiches, what's also famous are their meat skewers called El Timón -- a large stick of a variety of well marinated meat.
The bar is run by old men who don't speak anything but Spanish, and the place is anything but posh or "happening", but you go there to eat. Service is super quick at the bar, so if you are a small group stay there. For bigger groups, there is a small dining area at the back where they have fit 15 tables instead of 10 and the service is slow -- but Spain was never known for its service so it's all good! You won't find tourists here, and if you see some -- they are most likely to be expats who have lived in the city for a while and know where to go to get the good, cheap stuff ;-)
Location: Calle de Veneras, 7
Closest Metro: Opera (green line)